


Rossi to the Rescue

by United Profilers (Mr_Stylinson)



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Childish Reid, Dreams and Nightmares, Fear of Sickness, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Rossi, Scared Reid, funny ending, mischievous Hotch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-11-04 23:59:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11001714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mr_Stylinson/pseuds/United%20Profilers
Summary: On the jet back to Quantico with everyone else asleep, Rossi finds himself in the unusual position of comforting Reid after a nightmare.





	Rossi to the Rescue

**Author's Note:**

> Another one of my Fanfiction.net works back from 2011. Hope you enjoy.

A small jet flew across the night sky, it's contents unknown to most. Inside were six people, FBI agents, most of which were asleep.

Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi glanced around from person to person. He found it a little hard to believe that he was the only one awake. He looked over at the seat in front of him and chuckled at the sight of Hotch, who was laying back, a case file in hand, over his face. Morgan was slumped in his seat, his head was lying on it's left side, one hand was dangling off above the floor, the other was resting on his chest. Headphones still in his ears. Rossi wondered how he managed to fall asleep and stay asleep with whatever he had been listening to. He smirked at the thought of a lullaby on Derek's player. JJ was covered half way with a blanket, Prentiss had a book in her hands, both of which were on her stomach.

Reid was on the couch, shivering. The blanket he had fell onto the floor. Dave thought he heard the kid whimpering.

He turned and looked at the screen where Garcia was. She had called to see if everything went okay. In a way it had, sort of. They caught the unsub before she took another teenager's life, though said teenager will likely require some therapy.

Rossi heard that whimpering again. This time, Garcia had too.

"Go, go, go! See if my baby's okay!" She practically ordered.

"I'm going, I'm going." Rossi sighed as he made his way over to the couch. He knew Reid had nightmares, but what was he thinking? They all did! Dave wouldn't be surprised if even Hotch had a couple every now and then. In this case with Reid, Rossi figured it was usually Morgan or somebody else that helped comfort the crying bundle in front of him. He himself can't recall ever doing so.

Dave looked down and couldn't help but notice how innocent and _vulnerable_ Reid looked. He knew the young doctor was self-conscious, but did he ever consider his appearance? Sure, the long curly hair could work with a simple shirt and tie, but was the sweater vest really necessary?

 _Maybe it helps him stay warm._ Rossi thought, knowing that thin people usually had trouble maintaining body heat. Though it must not be doing any good seeing as how much Reid was shaking. David wasn't sure if that was from the temperature or from what horrors were running through the younger agent's mind...

* * *

_Reid opened the door exiting the stairs. It's better to take the stairs, you burn more calories. He smiled as he entered the bullpen. Today would either involve saving lives somewhere around the country or spending the day here and listening to Morgan complain about paperwork._

_He was mildly surprised to see Morgan and Prentiss already at their desks. Reid shrugged and headed towards his own. Derek shot up to greet him._

" _Hey, Pretty Boy." He said as he pat him on the shoulder._

" _Hi." Spencer replied._

" _Hi Reid." Prentiss greeted._

" _Hey Emily." He said as he sat down._

" _Morning, Spence."_

" _Morning, JJ!"_

_Reid sighed. He loved this job. Sure, it took it's toll now and again, but the love and support the team had for one another helped each one of them keep going. Like when he had his Dilaudid problem, when Morgan was accused of murder, and when Hotch dealt with protecting his family. They've all had their share of "events" yet, here they are still. Minus Elle, Gideon, and Haiey though. Reid wasn't sure if he could handle the team experiencing another loss of any kind, JJ or Prentiss for example, but if they managed to pull through this far, they should be okay._

_The Behavioral Analysis Unit, one big happy family. Spencer wouldn't want that any other way._

" _Guys... We have a case." JJ called out towards the bullpen, but she looked as if she'd been crying._

Must be a pretty bad case. _Reid thought as he made his way to the conference room. He didn't notice that the others weren't following him. He entered and saw nobody else inside. Raising an eyebrow, he turned around and saw two men in white clothing at the doorway, Hotch was behind them, the Unit Chief's normally unreadable face was a little saddened. Spencer paled._

" _Hotch? What's going on?"_

_Aaron sighed, uncharacteristically turning his head to the left and lowering it slightly, as if refusing to make eye contact._

" _Doctor Reid, please come with us." One of the two men finally spoke._

" _T-to where?" The young man asked nervously._

_He didn't reply. Instead, a third man appeared, he was carrying a straightjacket. Spencer's eyes widened with fear and he started shaking._

" _Hotch! What are these men..." He trailed off when he saw the BAU leader was nowhere to be seen._

_Sweat poured down Reid's face as he started to back up into a corner, the three men mimicking his pace. The third man held the jacket open._

" _Wait! I-I think there's been a mistake!" The men ignored him. Spencer closed his eyes and braced himself. The expected feeling of being unable to move his arms or much of his body caused him to tense. He allowed himself to sob openly. Two of the men took a firm grip on each of his sides while the other walked in front of them. Flashbacks of when he had sent his own mother away started to appear._

_He was led out of the room when he glanced around. Hoping that someone would tell these men that this is some huge misunderstanding and that he wasn't crazy. He choked back more sobs as he looked into the bullpen. Morgan's and Prentiss' desks were vacant. Garcia's door was closed and JJ's, Rossi's and Hotch's offices were all dark. The only individuals he saw were mostly people he didn't socialize with, so they were basically strangers._

_They all stared at him, none of them doing anything. Where was the team? Where was his family? Why aren't they helping him? Why are they off somewhere while he gets dragged to a funny farm?_

" _I'm not crazy! Please! You're making a mistake! No!" Spencer sobbed uncontrollably. Fighting only made the men tighten their hold on him._

" _Hotch! Morgan! Someone help me! Please!" He cried out but nobody came. The other people continued to stand around and watch._

_Tears fell down his face as if it was raining. Why hadn't his friends come to save him? Didn't they care about him anymore? Were they wanting to get rid of him? Did they get tired of having to 'babysit' a kid all the time?_

_Spencer hung his head. The day started out so fine, then_ this _suddenly happens. He truly wasn't crazy, was he? Had he been showing signs and not be aware of them? Maybe the others noticed and called these men? But they promised that they would do anything to keep him from being locked up!_

_The frightened young man continued to weep. He didn't think he had gone off the deep end, but if either he had or hadn't, maybe this is for the best. Maybe he'll get to live with his mother. Maybe he'll no longer be a burden to others. Maybe..._

" _Spencer!" A voice rang out._

_He ignored it. Figuring that he really must be going crazy._

" _Spencer, wake up!"_

_Wake up? He was already awake living a nightmare come true! ...Wasn't he?_

_He started to shake slightly._

" _It's just a dream! Wake up!"_

_Wait, what?_

* * *

"Come on, Reid. Just open your eyes!" Rossi urged. He didn't care if he woke up anyone else. Maybe they'd have an easier time getting the kid up than he could. Rossi had both his hands on the younger agent's sides, hoping that shaking him would pull him away from his less than peaceful slumber.

Spencer finally jolted awake and shot upright. Rossi barely had time to step back before he got headbutted. The still-shaking Reid looked around, trying to confirm his surroundings.

He wasn't entrapped in a straightjacket, being dragged out of the BAU, he wasn't strapped to a wheelchair, being hauled off somewhere, he wasn't locked up in some horrible, lonely white room, restrained to bed. He was... on the jet?

He eased his rapid breathing he hadn't noticed before. The sight of his friends around him calmed him down a little, but he was still very shaken up from that awful dream. He needed comfort, Rossi could tell. Though he wasn't quite sure how to handle Reid after having a nightmare, the Senior SSA reluctantly allowed his instincts to take over.

"Reid, are you okay?" He asked. Spencer looked up at Dave, a little surprised. _Figures. He was probably expecting Morgan._

The young man swallowed then nodded slightly. "Y-yeah, I'm, uh, I'm okay."

Rossi didn't believe him. He was far from okay. He was still shaking like a leaf. With a quiet sigh, he stepped forward, stopping in front of Reid when he heard him speak again.

"I'm sorry I woke you." He said, looking at the floor. The veteran profiler shook his and muttered under his breath.

"Reid, it was nightmare. You have nothing to be sorry for." Dave assured. "Besides, I was already awake." Spencer nodded, keeping his gaze to the floor. Rossi took a seat beside him.

"Do you want to talk about it, kid?" He shook his head.

Dave sighed. He knew Reid was lying, so he might as well get it over with and make the kid talk, whether he likes it or not. Another part of his mind wondered how the hell Reid's screaming and his own shouting didn't wake any of the others.

"I know you're lying, Reid. Now talk to me."

"I-it's n-nothing."

"Spencer Reid." Dave growled threateningly.

The younger profiler tensed. Hearing his full name in a tone like that was not good. Sighing, he sagged his shoulders in defeat. He never really talked to Rossi about his nightmares, but seeing that everyone else was sound asleep, he had no other choice.

"Okay." He started. The older man beside him wrapped in arm around his shoulder for comfort. Spencer tensed only for a moment.

"I was coming to work, most of you were there already. Then JJ says we have a case so I went to the conference room, but nobody was there. When I turned around there were these men in white outfits. Hotch was behind them. One of them told me to come with them and I asked where. He didn't answer me, but then this third man comes with a, uh..."

Reid trailed off and tears started to fall again. Rossi rubbed the younger man's back with his hand, waiting for him continue.

"The, uh, third guy had a straightjacket, and they all c-cornered me and p-put me in it." Spencer was now crying hard.

"They dragged me out. I called for one of you to help me, b-but no one came. Other people just stared at me, a-and I..." His sobs finally made it impossible to talk anymore. Much to Rossi's surprise, Reid buried himself in his chest. Dave immediately hugged the frightened young man and slowly rocked back and forth while ignoring his shirt that was getting wetter by the minute.

He understood now. He knew Reid had daily fears of inheriting his mother's illness.

Penelope, who had been watching the whole time choked back harsh sobs of her own. She wished she could reach through the screen to wrap her little baby in her arms and never let go and to tell him that everything was okay. But she couldn't, so she hoped that Rossi would do a good enough job.

Spencer's crying had died down to sniffles as Dave continued to hold him. Reid removed his face from the older agent's soaked chest and looked at it guiltily.

"Sorry." He mumbled apologetically.

"I'm going to keep telling you, kid, you have nothing to be sorry for."

"Okay." He said quietly as he moved from Rossi's embrace. "I'm gonna go back sleep."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Dave asked skeptically.

"Yeah." Reid said, but he didn't seem to believe himself. Rossi got up from the couch and made his way back to his seat across from Hotch, still asleep. He looked back towards Spencer who grabbed his blanket and lied back down.

Rossi looked back at the screen where Garcia still was. He told her everything was fine now and that she should go home. She didn't seem happy at first, but she obeyed. The quirky technical analyst disappeared from the screen, being replaced by a logo.

Dave leaned back in his seat, hoping to get some sleep. 20 minutes passed with no shut-eye. He was having trouble getting comfortable for some reason. He turned and tried to lay on his side when he heard what sounded like quiet weeping.

He shot upright rather quickly and looked over to where Reid was. He was lying down with his blanket, but his face was covered with fear. Thinking he was having another nightmare, Rossi hurriedly went down the aisle to the couch where a crying Spencer was now rolled up in a ball. Rossi leaned forward when Reid suddenly jumped up into him. Dave barely had time to hold out his arms when he found himself now carrying his younger colleague.

"Reid?" He asked softly but he never got a response. He asked his name again and got the same result as before.

It didn't take the veteran profiler long to see that the young man in his arms was perfectly calm. Smiling even. He was no longer crying, tears no longer poured out of his eyes, he stopped shivering.

He was asleep.

Rossi couldn't help but chuckle. He gently sat Reid back down onto the couch. He didn't even make two steps when Spencer started whimpering.

Dave just stared at him for a moment. Shaking his head, he leaned over with his arms out.

* * *

Hotch woke up to the sight of paper. Blushing slightly, the Unit Chief removed the case file from his face and sat up. He noticed the empty seat in front of him and figured that Rossi went to the bathroom or something.

He got up and stretched. Making a beeline towards Morgan, he carefully removed the younger man's headphones from his ears. He went to JJ and pulled her blanket up closer to her chin. He grabbed another blanket folded up nearby and put it over Prentiss after taking the book from her hands. The BAU leader then turned to Reid only to stop in his tracks at the sight before him.

On the couch was Rossi, sitting upright but sleeping soundly nonetheless. In his arms was Spencer who appeared to be sucking his thumb. A blanket was wrapped around the two of them.

Smirking, Hotch pulled out his phone, taking many snapshots from different angles.

_Garcia and the others are gonna love me, Dave and Reid are gonna hate me._


End file.
